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Omisore says incumbent governor Rauf Aregbesola is a drowning man.

The Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, candidate at the forthcoming
gubernatorial election in Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, has said that
Governor Rauf Aregbesola will fail “woefully” in the August 9 election
because he does not have the support of the grassroots.

In an interview with the Nigerian Guardian, published on Sunday, Mr.
Omisore blasted the All Progressives Congress, APC, the ruling party
in the state for acquiring a helicopter of N4 billion used by the
governor.

“How can a state, which cannot pay the salaries of teachers, be acquiring a helicopter of N4 billion used by the governor, claiming it is for security reasons?” Mr. Omisore said.

“Osun State is the second safest state in this country, by security watch report. Why do you need a helicopter when you can move around my road? Well, the roads are bad.

“Last time they visited Ila, the town of Bisi Akande, they went in a helicopter. They can’t drive because they would be calling them names. You are running away from people and you want to rule these people you are running away from; that is why they will fail and woefully too,”
Mr. Omisore continued.

“Look at my campaign now, I’m doing my campaign from ward to ward. They can’t go to any ward. They always do their campaigns in stadium, Ife stadium, Iwo stadium etc.

“(There is a crowd at the rallies) because there are Fuji artistes
there to entertain them. Those people only came to watch their favourite Pasuma or Wasiu Ayinde Marshal perform. Didn’t you see similar crowd at Fayemi’s rallies? What has that cost him? The votes are in the wards and in the towns. I’ve been going to every ward and
polling unit,” Mr. Omisore added.

The PDP candidate criticized some of Mr. Aregbesola’s projects in the state, particularly the popular Opon imo and the O’yes programmes, describing them as “blatant failures.”

“The truth is that the so-called O’yes participants have not been paid for the past eight months; in that regard, he has failed,” said Mr. Omisore.

“Opon imo has been withdrawn. I joined other well meaning people to demand for its withdrawal all over the state because Opon imo has 17 subjects and 87.7 errors.

“He gave the contract to one of his sons. Doing this is not the problem, but the reality is that a dangerous work, capable of destroying our students, was done. It has 17 subjects and 84.7 per
cent errors.

“For example, in mathematics, algebra to be specific, there is no single graph inside Opon imo, no single diagram, no single isograph and so on. I am a mathematician, you cannot teach mathematics without illustrating figures. It’s not possible.

“No single table, when you go to physics, same story. And in chemistry, nothing. The idea was driven by profit because he wanted to steal. Opon imo syllabus, SS1, SS2, to SS3, is the same syllabus. Opon imo in chapter 4 (history) says history of the Songhai Empire, what you will read in the body is the history of Mali. That’s the characterof Opon imo.

“I have written to British government, that they should withdraw the recognition of Opon imo. I have gone to the UNESCO. It’s an embarrassment. They’re being withdrawn from the schools now, all over the schools. In O’yes, he’s owing them salary.”

Mr. Omisore said that his eight-cardinal programmes, if elected the governor of the state, would include the disbanding of the merger of schools by the current government, developing of human capital, and promoting regional and national integration.

“Unlike Aregbesola’s government that everything is Lagos arrangement, even carpenter, bricklayers, welders are brought from Lagos…

“They have destroyed the children’s psychology (in public schools).
What we see in a Baptist High School in Iwo, where some students were wearing masquerade dress, some wearing choir dress and some wearing hijab only portend chaos.

“It is destroying the psychology of the child. He’s already imbibing wrong culture, values into the brain of a young child. He’s destroying the future of Osun State, so he must go, he must be removed…

“I will return schools to the owners of the schools and I will disengage merger of schools. I am going to announce immediately by 10th of August, all the schools should go back to their owners.”

On how to improve the Internally Generated Revenue of the state, Mr.
Omisore said that he would not “hurt” the people of the state with a high tax regime.

“Osun State is a civil service state, I’m sure you know that. There’s no Cadbury in Osun State, no Texaco, no Chevron, no Coca-cola, no 7Up, so you cannot force revenue,” said Mr. Omisore,

“When you say people should pay high taxes, you are hurting them the
more. It is better for you to manage what you have for the people in that state and they would understand you.

“So, I am not going to engage in any high tax regime. Aregbesola is
now saying he would withdraw the taxes because he wants to win
election. That means he’s unfocused, when you see a government now
backsliding because of election and withdrawing all policies, that
government has no focus at all. It’s a government that just want to
fumble and ramble.

“Aregbesola has lost the Osun election over a year ago, nothing can salvage him. No amount of Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande will save him, he’s a drowning man and he’ll be drowned.”

Mr. Omisore dismissed claims of his violent conduct as a “Lagos press
mentality.”

“I am a PhD holder, I am an academician, I am above all those things. Conversely, Aregbesola is a thug. When we formed AD in 1998, I’m telling you today for record purposes, I was a founding member of AD, he was a mere thug in AD. This is on record and you can check the facts. He was a common thug in AD in 1998. But the moment you give a slave keys to drive a car, you end up in trouble.

“The man is of very limited ideas and he has no knowledge; nothing. That is why he’s going to fail. All the noise about him are mere media creations and as the reality continues to dawn on you people, you will have to go and audit yourselves. Those of you who are in the media, because you are being bought over by these people.”

Mr. Omisore also dismissed his alleged involvement in the murder of Bola Ige, stating that he had been acquitted by the courts.

“I went through the trial and was discharged and acquitted. So, what else do you want? My standing trial over Bola Ige’s murder means that in that matter, I, Iyiola Omisore, is the only person innocent in this country. Every other person is a suspect by law. You are a suspect for Bola Ige’s murder. I’ve gone through the trial, I’ve been discharged and acquitted. I am the only person in this country that is safe and free from Bola Ige’s trial. All of you are suspects. But you refuse to accept the reality. That is wrong. That is the position of law.”

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